Bill Russell finally accepts his NBA Hall of Fame ring after 44 years

Bill Russell has finally accepted his NBA Hall of Fame ring The 11-time NBA champion said on Twitter that he has accepted the ring in a private ceremony attended by his wife and few close friends.

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Bill Russel: Hall of Fame induction in 1975

Bill Russell was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame back in 1975 but declined to participate in the induction ceremony because he didn’t want to be the first black player inducted. According to Russell, others should have had that honour before him.

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Bill Russell finally accepts the NBA Hall of Fame Ring

But on Friday Russel announced on Twitter, that he had accepted his NBA Hall of Fame ring in a private ceremony with his wife, Alonzo Mourning, Ann Meyers, Bill Walton and others. Interestingly, his tweet also mentions the late-Chuck Cooper, who was the first black player selected in the NBA draft in 1950. However, he was not inducted into the Hall of Fame until this September of this year.

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Bill Russell: Career Stats and Journey

Bill Russell's induction into the Hall of Fame was never a surprise. The now 85-year-old spent 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics form 1956-1969, winning 11 NBA titles and five league MVP awards. He recorded a total of 14,522 points in the NBA with an average of 15.1 PPG. He served as the head coach for the Celtics during his final three seasons in Boston, becoming the first black coach in the league, and later coached the Seattle SuperSonics for four years and the Sacramento Kings for one season. Bill Russell also has an Olympic gold medal under his belt and won two NCAA titles in San Francisco. 

Boston Celtics also retired the No 6 in his honour.

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